Trial Begins for Man Charged With Starting Palisades Fire That Killed 12

A federal trial for Jonathan Rinderknecht began in Los Angeles on Wednesday. Prosecutors allege the 30-year-old dual French-American citizen deliberately started a fire in the Santa Monica Mountains shortly after midnight on January 1, 2025, that became the Palisades fire. Rinderknecht faces three counts of arson and has pleaded not guilty.

He has been in custody since his arrest in Florida in October 2025 and faces up to 45 years in prison if convicted. S. Attorney Matthew O'Brien told jurors that Rinderknecht was "enthralled by fire" and sought vengeance against society.

O'Brien stated that mobile phone records and CCTV footage placed Rinderknecht at the hilltop location when the fire started. Defense attorney Steven Haney said his client hiked to a hillside vantage point to watch fireworks. Haney stated that Rinderknecht attempted to call 911 seventeen times after seeing the flames but could not connect until he descended the hill due to poor mobile reception.

"The evidence shows that he didn't start the January 1 fire," Haney said. Surface flames from the Palisades fire were extinguished within hours, but underground burning continued for six days before reigniting and burning until January 31, 2025. The fire killed 12 people, destroyed 6,800 structures in Pacific Palisades, and forced more than 100,000 residents to evacuate.

Approximately 6,000 firefighters from the United States, Canada, and Mexico responded. Property damage is estimated between $25 billion and $51 billion. S. District Judge Anne Hwang has restricted the defense from arguing that the Los Angeles Fire Department failed to fully extinguish the initial blaze.

The trial is expected to continue for several weeks with expert testimony on fire behavior and arson investigation. Jonathan Zasloff, a UCLA law professor who lost his home in Pacific Palisades, is pursuing separate litigation against state authorities. "I want to know what happened," Zasloff said.